It is known that a network-based publication system is a system that publishes information using a network. For example, a network-based publication system may include a machine (e.g., a computer) programmed by software to implement a module that publishes information via a network connected to the machine. The network-based publication system may implement an Internet-accessible website that enables online shopping, classified advertising, information search, information retrieval, online auctions, or any combination thereof.
A network-based publication system may list an item, and in some cases, the network-based publication system may list the item as available for sale. For example, a website may list a used car as available for sale by its owner by presenting a classified advertisement that describes the car. As another example, a website may allow a user to search for digital cameras being sold by multiple sellers and, in response, present a list of available digital cameras to the user.
To facilitate data processing related to a listed item, a designation may be applied to the item. Examples of a designation include, but are not limited to, a category, a keyword, a classification, a genre, a tag, a label, a nickname, a product number, an attribute, or a characteristic. The designation may be applied to the item by the seller of the item, the network-based publication system, a third-party, or any combination thereof.